Winners 2011

Indian Categories

AWARD TITLE TITLE DIRECTOR PRODUCED FOR JURY CITATION
ESSAR Foundation Best of the Festival Award Kosi: Injustice with Millions of Villagers and Revolt by Kosi River Vishal Nityanand HelpAge India "A powerful and hard hitting film, it poignantly depicts how thousands of villagers in both Nepal and India have to live amidst the raging fury of the Kosi river. The masterful film reveals the stark reality of some of the ill considered decisions that perilously transformed the lives of those who live on its banks and could have a devastating impact."

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2011 Festival Theme: IOCL Biodiversity Award Rajaji - A Forest by the Ganges Praveen Singh "Rajaji National Park (Uttarakhand Forest Department) "The story of a beleaguered game park in Uttarakhand is told through the brilliant lens of the cameraman. The human being vs elephant conflict is shown with compassion. The depiction makes it among the landmark films on an individual National Park. The team behind the production of this film deserves many congratulations on their splendid achievement."

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SAIL Climate Change and Sustainable Technologies Award Earth Witness: Reflections on the Times and the Timeless Akanksha Joshi Public Service Broadcasting Trust (PSBT) "The film tells the story of four people, from four diverse regions in India, but connected by a common thread. Filmed in Nagaland, Kutch, the Ganges Delta and the thick forests of central India, this glorious film chronicles their confrontation with climate change and explains how Earth's greatest challenge impacts simple villagers. A must watch."

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Delhi Chief Minister Environmental Conservation Award A Pestering Journey K R Manoj "More than being just a film about Endosulfan and its after effects, this heart wrenching documentary destroys the myth of the "Green Revolution". Beautifully filmed, it reveals why it is dangerous to tamper with nature. The story of suffering in the two towns of Bathinda and Kasargod is told with a mesmerising poignancy, a deeply moving narrative that leaves viewers stunned."

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HPCL Water for All Award The Miracle Water Village Rintu Thomas & Sushmit Ghosh "The British High Commission and The British Council "This extremely inspiring and motivating film tells the tale of Hiware Bazar, a small town in a drought prone part of Maharashtra. A band of simple villagers, led by Popatrao Baguji Pawar, turned their parched village into a green haven, using basic water conservation tools. This film is a shining example, which demonstrates how, with community participation, one can reverse one's fortunes. An exemplary work which ought to be screened widely."

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Zee News Series Award The Pack - 5 Episodes Senani Hegde Animal Planet International A triumph of filmmaking, the enterprising duo of Krupakar-Senani spent several years filming the endangered Dhole or Asiatic Wild Dog (Cuon alpinus) in the forests of South India. Their breathtakingly shot film follows the story of Kennai, the alpha female in a pack of wild dogs who leads her brood with acute wisdom. A heart tugging tale of loss and achievement, a masterpiece of wildlife filming."

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Birla EDUTECH Films for Children Award Home - Our Garden of Eden Suresh Elamon Birdwing Films "This is a heart warming film about two siblings, with a wildlife enthusiast father who urges them to first observe the wondrous creatures in their backyard, before visiting a wildlife park. As brother and sister explore their surroundings, they discover to their joy, that a whole new world exists right next to them. Blending beauty with simplicity, this is an important film conveying multiple lessons."

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Newcomer Award The Fall of Jataayu Siddharth M P and Kyriakos Stylianopolous University of Otago "This stunningly conceived and cleverly edited film juxtaposes the vulture's tragic reality with its glorious history in Indian mythology. The powerful dance form Kathakali is brilliantly used to evoke emotions. Mixing myth with reality, the film highlights the commendable efforts being made to save the vultures and bring it back from the verge of extinction."

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Animation Award Shelter Raghu Gopalan The film effectively captures the message that mankind's endless quest for materialistic desires can actually destroy the very basis that provides shelter, in the first place. The story of a man who takes shelter from rain under a tree during a thunder shower and then colonises the tree with fatal consequences achieves that magical combination of conveying the maximum impact with extreme delicacy.

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Livelihoods Award Platform No. 5 C Vanaja Kumari Public Service Broadcasting Trust (PSBT) and Doordarshan "This is an exceedingly well crafted film on street children who eke out a living by selling used plastic bottles left on trains. The lives of the children and their interaction with the police, railway staff and local gangsters, are portrayed with great sensitivity and compassion. The director's loving handling of these children has resulted in natural reactions from the children, as they recount their daily lives."

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Livelihoods Award Land of Widows Aarti Shrivastava Skylimit Pictures and Media for Social Impact "This powerful film set in Bhilwara in Rajasthan tells the story of penurious villagers forced to work in illegal mines to earn a living. Average sandstone miners are victimised by corporate greed and political corruption. Brilliantly filmed, the film captures the heart rending lives of families in a village where several men have died, in an attempt to feed their children."

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Public Service Announcements Award Public Service Announcements on the Protection of the Commons - 7 Amar Kanwar Foundation for Ecological Security (FES) "This pertinent short film skillfully captures the ironical situation in which a Rajasthani folk singer finds himself. His traditional song has been used by a Bollywood film producer and, in a travesty of fate, whose permission he now requires to perform his own song in public. Beautifully told and finely edited, the film hits home with its extremely topical message."

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Jury Special Mention Award Back to the Roots Rishu Nigam ONGC "A truly splendid film on the sacred sites of India's neglected frontier - the Northeast, it unravels the traditional linkages which the Khasis, the Meteis and the Vaishnav community of Majuli Island have with their surroundings. These traditions are now fragile and under pressure. Engagingly produced, the filmmaker deserves utmost commendation on this spectacular production. In one word, the production is a masterpiece."

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Jury Special Mention Award Public Service Announcements on the Protection of the Commons - 6 Amar Kanwar Foundation for Ecological Security (FES) "A smart short film capturing an extremely important and topical concern, this informative film talks of the indigenous Neem tree. Neem is much loved and nurtured in India for its multiple medicinal uses. But it is these very medicinal properties that are being eyed by several companies for commercial gains. The editing is taut, the message simple. This remarkable film hits the bull's eye as it successfully communicates that the Neem belongs to all."

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Technical Excellence Award for Best Cinematography Earth Witness: Reflections on the Times and the Timeless Akanksha Joshi Public Service Broadcasting Trust (PSBT) "The film tells the story of four people, from four diverse regions in India, but connected by a common thread. Filmed in Nagaland, Kutch, the Ganges Delta and the thick forests of central India, this glorious film chronicles their confrontation with climate change and explains how Earth's greatest challenge impacts simple villagers. A must watch."

Read more

 
Technical Excellence Award for Best Cinematography My Home is Green Sajan Sindhu Ellora Multimedia "A sensitively made animated film that looks at the tragic consequences of pesticides. The tale of an unusual friendship between and ant and a caterpillar captures how mindless use of pesticides such as Endosulfan destroys countless insects that do no harm to our crops. This brilliantly edited film needs to be shown widely for maximum impact."

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Technical Excellence Award for Best Editing Shelter Raghu Gopalan "The film effectively captures the message that mankind's endless quest for materialistic desires can actually destroy the very basis that provides shelter, in the first place. The story of a man who takes shelter from rain under a tree during a thunder shower and then colonises the tree with fatal consequences achieves that magical combination of conveying the maximum impact with extreme delicacy."

Read more

 
Technical Excellence Award for Best Editing The Fall of Jataayu Siddharth M P and Kyriakos Stylianopolous University of Otago "This stunningly conceived and cleverly edited film juxtaposes the vulture's tragic reality with its glorious history in Indian mythology. The powerful dance form Kathakali is brilliantly used to evoke emotions. Mixing myth with reality, the film highlights the commendable efforts being made to save the vultures and bring it back from the verge of extinction."

Read more

 
Best Story Award Kosi: Injustice with Millions of Villagers and Revolt by Kosi River Vishal Nityanand HelpAge India "A heart rending tale of villagers in both Nepal and India who face the wrath of one of regions most unpredictable rivers – the Kosi. The well scripted film tells the story through a series of revealing interviews with the victims. An intense storyline with absolute focus on the subject makes it an extremely effective and hard hitting film. An absolutely must watch."

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International Categories

AWARD TITLE FILM TITLE DIRECTOR JURY CITATION
 
Union Bank of India Best of the Festival Award SoLa: Louisiana Water Stories Jon Bowermaster "The film is a fine example of a filmmaker's storytelling craft scoring over expensive, hi-tech productions. Part investigative and part cathartic, it highlights the fall-outs of unchecked consumption. Highly relevant in the Indian context too, it should serve as a wakeup call for policy makers keen to emulate a similar model of development, at any cost, including the environment we live in! A truly deserving winner of the "Best of the festival award."

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Biodiversity Poppy's Promise: Secret Life in the Cornfield (Das Kornfeld: Dschungel fur einen Sommer) Jan Haft "This bewitching film looks at how sustainable agriculture practices can foster a unique ecosystem, one we generally associate with pristine landscapes. The film has been splendidly cinematographed; its composition displays due diligence as the filmmakers build rare visual sequences to demonstrate green practices."

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GIZ Climate Change and Sustainable Technologies Award The Wings of the Sun (Les Ailes Du Soleil) Henri de Gerlache "This very inspiring film celebrates the triumph of an impossible dream. It's magic lies in providing a glimmer of hope and sunshine amidst all doomsday predictions regarding climate change. An excellent production, it shows how it is possible to push the boundaries of technology to make it sustainable in a significant way."

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Environmental Conservation Award How to Boil a Frog - Make Friends/ Make Fun/ Make Trouble Jon Cooksey "A brilliant piece of work, this comedic documentary mixes rapid-fire humour with hard-hitting facts to show the consequences of unsustainable lifestyles and development. The astute script, the visual narrative laced with wry humour makes for excellent message recall. It's a tough job to convey a subject considered "boring" with such non-stop "informative" humour. Absolutely engrossing!"

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The Embassy of Netherlands Water for All Award Chasing Water Peter McBride "This beautifully shot film looks at shrinking natural water resources such as the mighty River Colorado. It very poignantly portrays the vulnerability of a dying river that, in textbooks and stories, is still described with superlatives such as "mighty". This fascinating and scary journey questions the entire modern development paradigm. A must watch film!"

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Series Award Amazon Alive: Hidden Secrets Christian Baumeister "A visual delight, this masterfully shot film gives a refreshing insight into the amazing life in the Amazon. The Amazon has long been hailed as a biological treasure trove. But it is entirely due to the untiring efforts of such dedicated filmakers that today we know that "what we know" is only part of the Amazons's remarkable story. This exhilarating film keeps one riveted through its entire 45-minute duration!"

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Newcomer Award The Unnatural History of the Kakapo Scott Mouat "This astounding film follows the life of the Kakapo, once thought extinct, now the world's rarest and strangest wild parrot. The rigorous documentation of the scientific processes adopted for the successful recovery of a species is matchless. The film, importantly, highlights the perils of short sighted human interventions in natural habitats that have endangered the rare kakapo, in the first place. This engrossing film opens doors to compelling secrets."

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Jury Special Mention Award Dog in the Manger (El Perro Del Hortelano) Renzo Zanelli "A compellingly narrated film, it is a bold attempt at using fiction as its genre and yet managing to sustain the viewer's interest for 90 whole minutes. The production befits the duration of a feature length film; hence, the jury decided to award this film a special mention! An extremely engaging film, with surprising twists and turns in its storyline."

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Jury Special Mention Award Wildlife - Modern Day Eden: A Japanese Temple Garden Chikara Ujiie "This breath taking documentary follows the wondrous cycle of life in the aesthetic Japanese gardens. These gardens are now attracting much attention for the important role they play in our ecosystem. Visually stunning, the film has earned the jury's special mention for showcasing the value of learning from traditional institutions of natural resource management. Even as it imparts important lessons in sustainable lifestyles, the film soothes and relaxes the senses with its harmonious rhythm and enchanting visuals."

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